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A line of people stretched down Olympic Boulevard outside the doors of Don Quixote nightclub in East LA. The event venue usually hosts musicians and parties, but once a month, East Los Lucha takes over, showcasing wrestlers from Los Angeles and beyond.
Attendees and fans span all ages. Young adults and families crowd the space, hoping to get a glimpse of their favorite luchadores and luchadoras.
On a recent night, Isabella Katherine, 28, came to see luchadora Delilah Doom’s match against La Toxica.
“Luchadoras take so much time to perfect their craft, and they have such character, such art, such culture,” Katherine said. “It’s such a beautiful community that they create, and I love coming every time.”
For women in lucha libre, however, finding a place in that community has not always been easy. Today, female wrestlers are increasingly headlining events, but wrestler Sarah Greaves-Pedraja said they still face challenges being treated as equals, citing times when promoters announce a women’s match as a “special event.”
Greaves-Pedraja, who wrestles under the name Delilah Doom, grew up in suburban Pepperell, Massachusetts, before settling in Austin, Texas, at age 25. As a child she felt inspired by professional wrestlers, which encouraged her to seek a career in the ring.
“I told myself, I’m gonna be a wrestler when I grow up,” said Greaves-Pedraja. “And of course, you get people that laugh at you when you’re a kid.”
Soon after moving to Texas, Greaves-Pedraja attended her first live wrestling show. The all-women event motivated her, and she began training within a few weeks.
She longed to see real female empowerment represented in wrestling and mentioned how she saw strong women wrestlers while growing up, but that “they were presented in a sexual way, or they were participating in bra and panties matches.”
So when it came to creating a persona, Greaves-Pedraja decided to show her confidence and empowerment through an ‘80s-inspired character, named Delilah Doom, a nickname given to her before training professionally.
“I think a lot of us just want to be seen as wrestlers,” she said. “I wish that we could just be seen as that and not be a special attraction.”
Another match attendee, Sarah Alamo, said she felt empowered by the luchadoras.
“I love how engaged they are with the audience,” said Alamo, referring to the luchadoras. “I love their presence and their confidence.”
For Greaves-Pedraja, East Los Lucha is more than just work; it is her childhood dream becoming reality. Despite all the barriers and obstacles women face in wrestling, Greaves-Pedraja said she hopes those aspiring women wrestlers will “take up the space.”
“You belong here, and just know that you’re gonna have to work hard, sometimes even harder,” she said.
Greaves-Pedraja later moved to California with her husband, Eli Everfly, who began co-organizing lucha events across the state. She witnessed the community grow from smaller venues to larger stages such as East Los Lucha.
In March, at East Los Mania 3, Delilah Doom was up to compete against La Toxica, another female wrestler, aiming to win the championship title. Doom had already won the year before and hoped to win once more. After an intense match, the referee gathers both women and raises Doom’s hand, signifying her win.
Reflecting on her championship win, Greaves-Pedraja said, “I always enjoy being tested, having my abilities tested, because you can’t be great without wrestling the greatest.”
